Titralitaloom's Chest

Gather my children, and you will hear a tale from the beginning of time. A tale about man’s need for conquest and the Great Spirits' commandments. Gather round, and I will begin my tale.

Long ago, at the beginning of time, the Peoples of the Earth all lived in peace and harmony with each other. They Land belonged to the Great Spirits, and they allowed us to live herein. Food was plentiful, and The Great Spirits always provided. What we didn’t have, we traded other Tribes for. All was as it should be.

The Spirits allowed access to all of the Earth but asked the People to avoid the forest they termed Life Rot Woods. As was the custom of the Spirits, they gave no reasoning to this request.

Many Winters passed. The People were happy and content. Children were born healthy. Teenagers became adults. Adults lived on into old age, to die from natural causes. The People were healthy.

Then came the Age of Titralitaloom. Titralitaloom was a young chieftain of one of the Tribes. Unfortunately, the young chieftain had allowed the Disgraced Spirit into his tent. The Disgraced had only hate and revenge in his heart for the Great Spirits. Whispering in Titralitaloom and his hunters' ears, he convinced them that the Land was meant to be possessed by one Man. The Disgraced goaded them into a frenzy and their only solution was War.

The Titralitaloom brought War to the People. The People, not knowing what War was lost many Tribes forever due to this. The Shamaki, who was the greatest of the Shaman healers. The Rhitzila, the greatest of the basket makers. Gone were the great fishers; the Picthelic and the Trilution Tribes. Forgotten now are the Luthanae and the Aestililat Tribes. Among many, many more.

All this War brought Titralitalooo and his Warriors to Life Rot Woods. Titralitaloom wanted to go around the Woods, knowing the Spirits only request was that the People stay out of this forest. But the Disgraced had other plans. He wanted to go through these Woods, because there was something he was leading Titralitaloom and his warriors to.

So, against Titralitaloom’s better instincts, he led his men through the dead trees. Following the Disgraced’s directions, they eventually arrived at a huge chest. The Disgraced encouraged them to stop and piqued Titralitaloom’s curiosity enough that he ordered his Warriors to open it.

The Warriors opened the lockless chest. Upon opening, a great howling wind issued forth from the open chest. The wind had enough force for each Warrior and Titralitaloom to be knocked six feet back onto their backs.

The Disgraced laughed and told them that they had just released Famine and Plague upon the land. That if they thought they knew what Death was, they would soon find out that they knew nothing of what Death could do.

Most of the Warriors died a horrible Death before they could leave the Woods. A few made it to small Tribal Villages, where they spread the Plague released from the chest. Where soon it was spreading from village to village, from Tribe to Tribe, to all the People. Many of the People died; many more of the Tribes were completely wiped out. The Gonsah, the Pelifea, and the Stajka were the first to go. Then Azsteaka, Amaeznas, and the Edaem Tribes. Others soon followed. We had all seen our numbers diminish.

Then came the growing season. We now know what a drought is, but the People had never even experienced a drought. So when Famine hit and lasted for three years, many more died a horrible Death of starvation.

But the People adapted and many built irrigation canals. The Fishers built bigger boats and went out after larger fish. Others took up the eating of wild animals. A small few took to the eating of Man, but they are thought to have accepted the Disgraced One into their hearts.

This, my children, is how War and Strife came to the Land. Remember always, this, though, children, where War and Strife are, Famine, Plague, and Death are soon to follow.